


Hard Work and Help

by AndInThoseMoments



Series: Trust and Teamwork [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Assets & Handlers, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Rescue, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2018-01-14 04:39:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1253188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndInThoseMoments/pseuds/AndInThoseMoments
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson isn't sure why something feels wrong about this mission, but it does.  Still, with his best team on the job, he thinks he can handle it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "Two Shot". Thank you again to ShadowHaloedAngel for her beta!

Coulson gazed down at the paperwork before him, comparing maps and reports. There was something about this upcoming mission that concerned him, but he couldn't work out what it was. He'd learned to trust his gut instinct though - if something worried him, he wasn't going to ignore it. For all that, he couldn’t ignore an important mission just because he wanted to.

His two agents were slowly becoming more confident and playing a far more major role in the organisation, being seen as valuable assets. They were doing more difficult missions, and were working as well together as Coulson had hoped that they would. The rest of the organisation seemed to have forgiven Clint for his decision to bring Natasha in, and she was adapting. 

Coulson supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by that. From what he knew about her upbringing, learning to adapt to whatever faced her had been a major part of her childhood, but he still felt his heart swell with pride as he saw her beginning to talk to the other agents. Any doubts about her worthiness as an agent had been allayed as she had racked up success after success.

Now there was this mission. An information retrieval, with Romanoff going to meet a deep cover agent and Barton providing backup. A level five mission, to prove that they were both capable of working at a high level, and to give them both a chance to flex their skill set. If it went well, they could be promoted to level five specialists. He glanced over the maps again, noting down possible escape routes and vantage points. He would get Barton to look the maps over later for anything he missed, but he didn't want to go in and brief the two of them unless he was familiar with the materials, especially as Barton tended to be able to find holes in his plans.

Something kept catching at the back of his mind, but he couldn't work out why he was worried. The paperwork was good and clear, and the agent already in place had supplied everything that could have been needed. Eventually he put his doubts aside and messaged the two of them, asking them to come up to his office.  
It wasn't long until Clint and Natasha arrived, muttering under their breath.  
"You are a stupid pigeon." She whispered to him. Clint shrugged.  
"Yeh, but it was funny."  
"What did you do?" Coulson asked, letting out an exasperated sigh.  
"He decided to see if he could hit a junior agent with a nerf gun. While they were on the range. They spun around in shock and nearly shot at him."  
"Think of it as unplanned reflex training."

"Agent Barton." Coulson started, his voice severe. "You need to stop improvising training, or I will find another agent to escort Agent Romanoff on the upcoming mission."  
"I'll be good." Clint answered, a little shamefaced. He knew Coulson well enough to know that 'Barton' meant he was work focused, and 'Agent Barton' meant that Coulson was actually mad with him.

Natasha's attention however had been diverted to the words 'upcoming mission', and she was standing close to the desk at attention, a faint hint of a smile on her face as she tried to sneak a glimpse of the paperwork.  
"Take a seat you two." Coulson commanded, pushing over the files.  
"It's a retrieval in Kiev. Romanoff will be meeting up with Agent Farren, who is deep under cover, and collect information from him. We're sending an agent in rather than arranging a drop to ensure his wellbeing - there is a good chance we will have to evacuate him as well as the two of you. Barton, you are providing cover and support." 

He gave them both a few minutes to read over the paper and look at the surveillance images. Eventually, Clint reached for a pen, circling three points on the rooftops.  
"From what I can tell, these would be the best points for me. That one would be most out of sight, but my view there would be restricted when compared to the other sites. If I had to choose one of them, I would go for that one on the left. It's fairly sheltered, out of the wind, and good view. A little exposed, but I could keep low. Then if Romanoff comes in through here..."  
Coulson nodded, evaluating the suggestion. For an hour, ideas flowed between the three of them, Natasha and Coulson making notes while Clint gestured and rambled his way through a plan.

Once they had a settled strategy, Coulson turned to the two of them.  
"Does anything about this... seem odd to either of you?" He asked cautiously. "I don't want you to worry, but it just... seems a little … to me."  
"No." Natasha answered, shaking her head. "Better information than I have ever had for a job of this complexity." She looked back at the personnel files, adding in a few more notes.

"I don't think so... I mean, the initial suggested perches were pretty shit, but that’s normal, you know? It happens regularly, intel don't get what I'm actually looking for. Other than that... I can work with this... Nat's right, we've got good detail here."  
"Romanoff while we're at work pigeon." Natasha answered, but her tone was more amused than anything else. 

"Yeh, okay then, Romanoff. Whatever. We've got good info here sir, we can do this."  
Coulson nodded.  
"Alright, well, we ship off first thing tomorrow morning."  
"Understood sir."  
The two agents nodded, Clint glancing over the maps and drawing in extra sight lines, while Natasha read over the personnel files once more. Satisfied, she left, and Clint pressed a kiss to Coulson's cheek.  
"You're worrying again."  
"With you two I always worry." He said simply. Clint laughed.  
"I'll see you tonight."

The next morning, Phil woke up to the sensation of Clint pressing kisses to his neck.  
"Whuh?" He asked, a little surprised to be awake after Clint.  
"We've got a mission sir, you gotta get up."  
"I'm up." Phil answered, heading to the bathroom, whilst Clint threw what they needed into a suitcase. There was a knock on the door of their SHIELD base room, and Natasha pushed the door open, a rucksack slung over her shoulder.  
"Ready." She informed Clint. Clint nodded in agreement.  
"Phil's just getting dressed."

Natasha arched an eyebrow.   
"You mean he doesn't wake up every morning with the suit already on?"   
"Oh, he does, but he needs to wash and iron the suit, and whilst he can iron it while wearing it-"  
"-it isn't very good for his health?" Natasha hazarded, making Clint laugh.  
"I heard that!" Phil protested from the bathroom, pushing the door open. He stared for a moment at the expressions of the two of them. When they were happy, they looked so much younger than they did the rest of the time and he got to see the children they had never been. A second later, seriousness had fallen across their faces, and they were both holding up their bags.

"We're taking Lola." He told them, and Clint whooped. Natasha turned to him, a sceptical expression plastered across her face.   
"Won't that be a little... noticeable?"  
"We won't use it to get to the mission site. Come on, Romanoff, Barton."  
“I call shotgun!” Clint called, racing ahead to get to the car first. Natasha shook her head, but there was a look in her expression which Phil thought could well have been fondness.

That night, he treated them both to dinner at a small roadside diner, letting them get whatever they wanted. Clint devoured three plates worth of fries, whilst Natasha allowed herself to have a hot dog, kicking Clint under the table after he whispered something to her. Then they went on to the safe house, and Clint and Phil took the bed while Natasha took the sofa.

The next morning they headed out to the rendezvous site, in a much less conspicuous SHIELD vehicle. Natasha was sat in the back, giving the notes one final look over, while Clint rode shotgun, his hand resting against Phil's knee to give him something to focus on.  
"Both ready?" Phil asked as he parked, and Natasha undid her seatbelt.  
"Ready." She agreed, getting out of the car and walking over to the alleyway where she would wait for Clint to get into his nest.

Clint pressed a momentary kiss to Phil's cheek, then got up, heading on to a rooftop. Coulson waited until they both checked in, then drove his car on to where he was planning to wait a few streets away. He opened up a newspaper, and tuned in to their private channels as well as the one shared between the three of them.

Clint was humming under his breath on his own channel, and Coulson quirked his lips slightly.  
"Focus." He reminded him gently, but there was no anger there. He knew Clint liked making noise, and as long as they weren't getting heard he didn't mind. Anything that kept Clint happy was fine with him, and if all went well this mission would be boring for the archer.

"Moving sir." Natasha whispered into her comm, walking along the alleyway, and into another building. Their contact would be waiting within, and Coulson listened to the sound of Natasha's voice as she met with Agent Farren. The other agent sounded tired, and his voice was shaking a little, but he handed over the data. Romanoff thanked him, hiding the data in her shoe, and then preparing to leave.  
"You've done well. It won't be long now until the mission is over." She informed him, attempting reassurance.

He snorted in response.  
"That's what he kept saying. It was easy enough for him to say it, he wasn’t trapped here." He sounded bitter now, and Phil tensed a little, worried about where this was going.  
"Do you need to evacuate, Farren?" Romanoff asked, her hand moving to the gun on her thigh, looking now for any sign that this was a trap. There were only the two of them there, she was sure of that. She looked around at the ceiling for any cameras, but she saw nothing.

"I needed..." Farren shook his head. "I needed to evacuate weeks ago..." He whimpered. "But no one was there... my handler stopped answering, and then... then he'd joined the rebels, he gave me away and they..." He was shaking, but still quiet. "I've been hiding out here for days. For days, waiting for someone, afraid at any moment I would be found, and I couldn't contact you... I tried, I tried but...he had all the communication links to base."

Coulson had heard enough. He gripped the steering wheel of the car hard.  
"Romanoff, get him out of there, now. Car is on its way. Barton, provide cover for their exit, then come down and get to me."  
"Understood sir." Natasha answered, and she gripped onto Agent Farren's arm.  
"Come with me. We will get you out of here, back to base. They will deal with your handler. SHIELD does not like traitors."

Slowly, he nodded, and he stumbled with her from the room. She tried to hurry him, her shoulder slipping under his arm to share his weight.

"I'll be waiting at the agreed point." Coulson told them, starting the car and hurrying to the rendezvous, knowing that every second now would count.  
"Yes sir..." Natasha sounded short of breath, and she hurried onwards, supporting the larger man against her side, as she headed to the site Coulson had planned to use as a meeting point. 

The two of them came into view, Farren paler and thinner than when Coulson had seen him last. Natasha was beside him, supporting him, and as he got closer Coulson could see the angry splash of bruising across his face. Natasha helped him into the car, and he shuddered, curling up on the back seat and drawing his knees to his chest as he muttered thanks.

Coulson glanced at Romanoff and frowned.  
"Barton?" There was no answer over the comms, and he realised that the singing had fallen silent.  
Natasha glanced back at the rooftop where Clint had been waiting, and Coulson made himself reach out and grab her shoulder to stop her running off alone to retrieve him.  
"The entire thing has been a trap Agent Romanoff."  
"I know sir. But with all respect, I can't leave him there."  
"I'm not asking you to." Coulson said simply. "Just for you to give me time to form a plan, so that we do more than just hand them another bargaining chip." He took a deep breath, his voice not shaking as he continued. "They've already got one person to use against us, I can't in all conscience sanction giving them another."  
"So we leave him?"  
"No." Coulson answered firmly. "We don't leave him, but we plan first."  
"Plan quickly." Natasha snarled back, her face twisting with anger. She got into the driver’s seat.

Farren was curled up in the back of the car, and as Coulson looked him over he noticed how very pale the man had become, how much weight he had lost since he had sent the agent off. He had been hiding there for a long time, and he'd been constantly afraid.  
"It's alright." Coulson slid in beside him, reaching to rest his hand on Farren's knee. "Talk to me about what happened, everything you can."  
Natasha drove the car a short distance, so that it was out of sight and range of the buildings their map had located. Then she got out to stretch her legs and take a few moments to collect herself.

"Alright." Farren answered. "My handler betrayed me two weeks ago. That was the last time I got a report off, anything you've got from me since then was him instead." He started to explain.

Coulson considered the reports. A few changes had been made in the last few weeks, with the target positioning being changed a little. The rendezvous site had been a constant. But all reports Agent Farren had completed would have gone through his handler. That meant this mission could have been a set up from the start.

He grabbed the maps that Natasha had been looking at earlier, handing them to Farren.  
"This is the information they've given us. I need you to fix it."  
Farren nodded, starting to work, his hands shaking a little but his mind sharp as he called out information and scribbled it down. There were a lot of guards, and a lot of surveillance.

Reluctantly, Coulson called Natasha back to the car.  
"We're going to need to fall further back, and then Romanoff, I'll need you to hack into their systems, get control of their cameras. We can find him then."

Natasha tensed and Phil sighed.  
"Or I can let you run forwards, and you'll first be met by snipers, then into several booby trapped rooms that we already know about, then more that we don't know about. They'd catch you, and there's a small chance that they might throw you into a room with Clint, but by then you'd probably be in too much pain to help him, and they'd have guards on the doors. And I would be without an expert who would be able to hack into their systems. It's your choice."

She spat furiously on the ground, her gaze hard, but then she took in a deep breath, her body relaxed and she smiled softly, slipping in to the car beside Coulson, and nodding once, sharply.  
"I'm sorry sir."  
"It's alright Agent. I want to get him back just as much as you do. We won't abandon him. We just need to plan, and get him out of there as safely as possible, you can see that right?"

Natasha leaned against the window as the car drove on, lost in her thoughts.

They returned to the safehouse, and Natasha set to work on the computer system, while Coulson began to debrief Farren. He called the Director to inform him about what had happened.  
"What is it Cheese?"  
"We retrieved Agent Farren, who brought some files, but his handler had betrayed him."  
"What the fuck does that mean?"  
"His handler set us up. He joined the rebels, and he set us up. They got Clint, they got Clint. Natasha got out with Farren, but that was it. Clint's..." Coulson took another deep breath. "Clint's with them awaiting retrieval."

"That bastard." Fury snarled. "Do you need another team?"  
"Farren needs an evac team. Natasha's hacking their systems, and I think the two of us can handle it, but if we do need more help, then I will ask for it. For now, I just want to get Clint back and make sure that we are all safe."  
"Understood. Just take care of your lot. I'll send an evac team." Fury sighed. "Get back home in one piece, or I will fucking murder you Cheese."  
"Understood sir." Coulson hung up the phone, and nodded to Farren.

"An evac team is on its way." He told them both. Natasha was focused on the computer screen.  
"Got their CCTV." She informed him calmly, face and voice entirely emotionless. "Am now getting into their records, they've had access to a few of our files, which isn't good..."  
"Shouldn't we have detected their incursion into our files?"  
"No." Natasha answered. "The handler was doing it through his own systems, and as long as he was careful with what he was accessing it would be no different to the information that we expected him to be looking at." 

Coulson considered her answer.  
"Send the files on to SHIELD for analysis, and then get some rest Agent Romanoff, I can read through the paperwork and watch the cameras."  
"I can do this sir."  
"I am sure that you can, but do you really believe that you are going to be able to do your best if you are exhausted? Does Agent Barton not deserve your best in every single way that is possible?"

"Understood sir." Natasha answered, handing over the computer and heading up to the bed. Coulson knew he should follow his own advice, but he couldn't. Instead he continued to watch the CCTV, watching for any sign of Clint on the cameras. There was nothing.

By the next morning, Coulson's eyelids were starting to droop. He was exhausted, and concerned. Romanoff though looked refreshed. That didn't surprise him - he'd already realised that she was going to be able to sleep wherever was required when on missions, even if she didn't want to. She made three bowls of cereal, and handed them out.

"Any sighting of him sir?"  
"I am afraid not, but I have taken recordings of the cameras that we can use to cover your entrance into the building. Farren has provided me with some information about where they've probably taken him."

"Thank you." Natasha answered, as maps were handed over to her. "Can you operate the cameras?"  
"I can." Coulson answered calmly. "I'll carry out the surveillance alteration from the get-away car, so you just get in, get Barton, and get out. You'll have a comm, update me of any problems. If you get caught, we'll send in a team."  
"I won't get caught sir." Natasha insisted. 

Coulson checked his phone.   
"Farren, the evac team will be here soon, you wait here, and they'll let me know when you arrive, is that understood?"  
"Yes. I hope... I'll see all three of you back at base."  
"You will." Coulson agreed. "Romanoff, come with me."

She followed him into the car, fitting her comm. Her lock picks were already hidden around her, along with weapons and a tracking system for Coulson's benefit.  
"Ready?"  
"Ready sir." She answered as the car parked a few streets away from the base. She climbed out of the car, and disappeared into an alleyway, her entire body language showing that she was focused completely on the meeting ahead.

Coulson could do nothing but sit and wait for her to check back in.  
Natasha made her way over to the building, unlocking the window with a blade and climbing in. She kept glancing around, for any sign that she had been heard, but so far no one seemed to have noticed her presence.  
"Inside." She whispered into her comm, starting to walk along the corridor. Her pulse was racing, and she took a few deep breaths to ground herself - it would be no good to be distracted during a mission.

She walked down towards the basement, heading in to the quietest section of the room. Footsteps advanced towards her. She slipped into the shadows, pulling out a sedative and waiting for the guard to pass her.

She jumped up onto his back, pressing the needle into his skin and feeling him going limp beneath her. She carried him into the shadow and picked the keys from his pocket. She left him there, and headed along the corridor.

She heard a faint groan from one of the rooms and searched for the correct key. It didn't take long to match the grey and scratched key to the rusted lock. She slid it home, and twisted it, pushing the door open a little. She caught sight of a figure in the corner, and slipped the key out before ducking into the room. She closed the door behind her, knowing that Coulson would be controlling the cameras and prevent her from being seen by the rebels. 

She made her way across the room to the figure slumped in the corner, using her cell phone to light up his face. It was Clint. He was pale, his face was bruised and his eyes unfocused. Dried blood stained his lips, and he was groaning softly in pain. 

"Got him sir." She reported simply, not wanting to concern her handler. She turned her attention to Clint. "Come on Clint, rescue party's here, honestly you seem to like being saved..." She murmured to him, rubbing at his arms and legs in an attempt to return blood flow to them and wake him up. He groaned again, but his eyes looked towards her for a moment, focusing and then looking away again.   
"Na... Natasha?" He gasped.  
"That's me."  
She told him gently, checking to make sure his pulse was alright. It was running fast, but he was alive, and not irregular.

"You're coming with me Clint." She told him, crouching down and trying to assist Clint to stand. "Can you shoot for me?" She asked, forcing a gun into his hands. His fingers fastened around the stock of the gun and his hands trembled, but he held it up. For a few moments, he managed to hold it straight, but then he slumped against her and the gun dropped from his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Clint groaned in pain, feeling blackness around him. He ached all over, and breathing made his chest scream. It was agony. Noises escaped him, and then a soft warmness flooded through his veins and he relaxed.

The next time he was aware of anything, it was the cool dampness of an ice chip against his lips. He opened his lips a little and allowed the chip to slip inside. He felt it melting inside the mouth, then took a deep breath. A hand rested on his shoulder, and his eyes flickered a little. 

He was faced with the familiar whiteness of medical. One day he hoped that he wouldn't wake up like this, but he was used to it by now. He took another slow breath, and opened his eyes fully.

Coulson was standing at the side of his bed, smiling at him.  
"You back with us?"  
He nodded slowly, still feeling dizzy. The movement of his head drew attention to the presence of Natasha sat on a nearby chair, her face buried in a book. She looked up towards him, waving her hand and then lowering it again to turn the page. 

The calmness that Natasha showed relaxed him a little, and he tried to look at both of them.  
"What is it?" He asked softly. "What happened?"  
"You got yourself caught." Coulson told him softly. "You got yourself caught, we were betrayed by Agent Farren's handler, and they got you."  
"Didn't talk." Clint muttered. Coulson rested his hand on Clint's shoulder again, and squeezed once more.   
"I know you didn't talk." Coulson told him softly. "You're so brave. And it's good to have you back with us..."

Natasha reached her hand out, to rest a hand on Clint's, as Coulson's fingers stroked over his hair softly.  
"You're going to be alright." The handler told him.  
"My stupid pigeon." Natasha reprimanded him fondly. "I was never going to let you go, you should know that."

Clint managed a weak laugh at that, but he found her words comforting. The world seemed fuzzy thanks to the mixture of drugs running through his system. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax for a few moments. He faded out into sleep once more, but when his eyes flickered open, they were still there.

The sky outside the window had changed from blue to purples and pinks, so hours had obviously passed, but they were still there. They smiled at him.

Coulson leaned forwards, and kissed Clint gently, stroking his hair. Clint relaxed underneath his touch, smiling and laughing slightly to himself.  
"I'll fetch you both drinks." Natasha stated, going to fetch a cup for them both. Coulson wrapped his arms around Clint gently.  
"You got yourself coated in bruises Clint... but we got you back. That's what matters. We got you back."

Clint swallowed.  
"Wasn't afraid. Knew... knew you'd come for me."  
Natasha walked back in, carrying a glass of water and a cup of coffee. Clint looked over at her.  
"I knew you'd both come for me." He told them.

Natasha smiled faintly, walking over to her seat. She sat down and began to read again, while Coulson and Clint talked softly.

Coulson told Clint how well he had done, how he had been right to think they were coming for him. Clint listened to every comment and blushed, giggling and laughing to himself. His eyes were not quite focused, but he seemed happy enough, and Phil knew how Clint got when he was drunk or on heavy drugs after accidents. He smiled tolerantly, and patted Clint's hair once more.

"You did good today." He told him softly.  
"Not as good as Tasha." Clint pointed out, waving one hand vaguely in the direction of where the Russian spy sat. "'m lucky to have you too. Got a family, all for me. I love you both." He grinned, reaching for Natasha's book. Natasha handed it to him with a tolerant expression, and he put it on his head.  
"Phil?"  
"Yes Clint?"  
"I got a hat."  
"Yes." Phil agreed. "Yes you do."


End file.
